Obesity rates are skyrocketing globally, leading to associated health problems such as infertility, liver failure and osteoarthritis of the knee, leading to an increase in knee replacement surgeries.first In 1975, an estimated 6.4% of women and 3.2% of men were considered obese.2 but this has increased dramatically.
In 2017, the obesity rate in the US reached 41.9%, severe obesity reached 9.2%.3 Heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and certain types of cancer are all considered conditions associated with obesity,4 while osteoarthritis of the knee, a common cause of pain and disability, has also been linked to obesity.
Now, with people developing obesity at a younger age, knee replacement surgery – a questionable medical procedure – is also becoming more common at a younger age.5
Rising obesity leads to knee surgery at younger ages
In Australia, almost a third of adults are obese.6 In a study that compared data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ National Health Survey 2017 to 2018 with data from the National Joint Replacement Registry, researchers revealed that obesity is linked to an increased risk of knee replacement surgery.
Of the 56,217 patients in the study who received knee replacement due to osteoarthritis, 31.9% were overweight and 57.7% were obese. The risk of knee replacement increases according to the body mass index (BMI) classification, as obese women between the ages of 55 and 64 have a higher risk of knee replacement 4.7, 8.4, and 17, respectively. 3 times if they are in group 1, group 2 or rank. 3 times more obese than normal weight women.
What’s more, those in the heaviest obese group (group 3) were also more likely to have knee replacement surgery at a younger age – 7.2 years earlier than women of normal weight. While the average age at which normal-weight women received a knee replacement was 71.3 years, those with grade 3 obesity had surgery at an average age of 64.1 years.
Grade 3 obese men were also 5.8 times more likely to need a knee replacement than normal weight men and also had surgery 7.3 years earlier.7 Overall, the researchers note that nearly 90% of people who receive primary knee replacements in Australia are overweight or obese. They explain why obesity increases the risk of osteoarthritis of the knee (OA):8
“The contribution of obesity to the development of knee arthritis is multifactorial. Not only does obesity cause an excessive load on the joint surface, but dyslipidemia and adipose tissue inflammation increase cytokine production, which also contributes to arthritis.”
Knee surgery no better than placebo
Addressing the underlying obesity that is driving osteoarthritis rates is essential to protecting your knees. However, surgery is a commonly recommended solution in conventional medicine. However, you should know that many studies have shown that knee surgery may not be better than a placebo.
The inside of your knee is a thin crescent-shaped disc of cartilage that acts as a cushion between your femur and tibia and helps stabilize your knee.
Over time, your meniscus can tear, especially if you have arthritis. The standard orthopedic surgeon intervention for meniscal tears is to perform endoscopic partial meniscalectomy. In fact, arthroscopic meniscal surgery is the most common orthopedic procedure in the United States.9 but a study done in Finland showed that arthroscopic knee surgery for meniscal degeneration offers no more benefit than “sham surgery”.ten
A landmark study conducted in 2002 also looked at arthroscopic surgery for knee osteoarthritis and found that the surgery actually offered no benefit over the sham procedure.11 Although surgery did not work better than placebo, it was found that arthroscopic surgery with meniscal removal increased the risk of future knee replacement surgery threefold.twelfth
On the other hand, exercise along with rehabilitation in middle-aged patients with damaged knees has been shown to be effective as a surgical approach to meniscus repair.13 It is unfortunate that obesity is driving knee replacements to occur at a younger age, as your weight is also an important factor in determining the likelihood of a successful corrective surgery.
For example, research has found significant changes in knee curvature within the first three months after injury with increased body mass. The results showed that people who underwent surgery had more flat knees than those who used rehabilitation methods without surgical intervention when their body mass index was higher.14
Obesity affects male infertility
Male fertility has been declining for at least 40 years, with a global 50% decline in sperm quality recorded between 1938 and 2011.15 The book “Countdown,” written by Shanna Swan, a reproductive epidemiologist at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, based on a 2017 study she co-authored, also found a 59.3 drop in sperm count. % from 1973 to 2011.16
The most significant declines were found in samples from men in North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand, where many had sperm concentrations below 40 million/ml, considered the cut-off at which a man will have difficulty fertilizing an egg. Overall, men in these countries experienced a 52.4% decrease in sperm concentration and a 59.3% decrease in total sperm count (sperm concentration times the total volume of an ejaculate).
“Environmental chemicals and unhealthy lifestyles in our modern world are disrupting our hormonal balance, causing various degrees of reproductive havoc,” says Swan.17 Hormonal disruptions can also affect weight, and exposure to environmental chemicals has been linked to worsening the obesity epidemic.18
Research presented at the Endocrine Society’s 2022 annual meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, further revealed that maintaining a healthy body weight at an early age can help prevent male infertility later in life.19
Children and adolescents who are overweight or obese, or have high insulin levels or insulin resistance, tend to have smaller testicles than their normal-weight peers with normal insulin levels. According to the study’s lead investigator, “More careful control of body weight in childhood and adolescence may help maintain testicular function later in life.”
Fructose, obesity leads to liver disease
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common chronic liver disease in developed countries.20 characterized by the accumulation of excess fat in your liver that is not associated with heavy alcohol use. Lifestyle factors such as diet, exercise, weight, and smoking all play a role in exacerbating (as well as reducing) your chances of developing liver disease.
In the US, 24% of adults have NAFLD, and another study presented at the Endocrine Society’s 2022 annual meeting found that high fructose consumption is associated with an increased risk of NAFLD.21 High-fructose foods, including soda and candy, have been linked to obesity and diabetes, which has also been linked to NAFLD. Lead author, Dr. Theodore Friedman of Charles R. Drew University in Los Angeles, California, said in a news release:22
“NAFLD is a serious problem and it is increasing in the population. There are racial/ethnic differences in the incidence of NAFLD. People consume high-fructose corn syrup in other foods, soft drinks, and beverages. Some studies suggest that the consumption of high-fructose corn syrup is associated with the development of NAFLD.”
While fructose consumption certainly doesn’t help liver health, the increase in NAFLD may be more related to increased consumption of toxic industrially processed seed oils, commonly known as “vegetable oil”.
Examples of seed oils that are high in omega-6 PUFAs include soybean, cottonseed, sunflower, rapeseed (canola), corn, and safflower.23 Omega-6s are considered pro-inflammatory because the most common, linoleic acid, will completely increase oxidative free radicals and cause mitochondrial dysfunction.24
As the researchers noted in the journal Nutrients, “In addition, several studies suggest that omega-6 PUFAs are associated with chronic inflammatory diseases such as obesity, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, and liver disease. Heart.”25 Reducing your intake of fructose and nut oils while increasing your intake of healthy fats is an effective way to support liver health and a healthy weight.
It’s important to avoid nearly all processed and fast foods, as almost all of them contain these toxic oils and/or fructose. The easiest way to do this is to prepare most of your food at home so you know what you’re eating.
Also, be aware that, because animals are fed cereals high in linoleic acid,26 it’s also hidden in “healthy” foods like chicken and pork, which makes these meats the main source you should avoid. Olive oil is another health food that can be a hidden source of linoleic acid, as it’s often cut with cheaper nut oils.
Try TRE to lose weight
In addition to avoiding the linoleic acid in nut oils, time-restricted eating (TRE) is a powerful intervention that simply mimics our ancestors’ eating habits and restores your body to its natural state. than allowing the full range of metabolic benefits to occur.27
TRE involves limiting the length of your eating to six to eight hours a day instead of the more than 12 hour period most people use. For example, research shows that people who follow TRE have significantly reduced body weight and fat mass, while retaining fat-free mass, along with improvements in blood pressure, fasting sugar, and cholesterol compared with those following a regular diet.28
Ideally, you should stop eating a few hours before bed, then start the diet mid to late morning after waking up. TRE, along with a comprehensive lifestyle program to support a healthy weight, including exercise, daily movement and stress reduction, can help you maintain a normal weight and avoid the pitfalls of obesity, including knee problems, infertility, and liver damage.
